By Gabriela Baron
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has warned the public against the P20 and enhanced P5 coins that are being sold online at prices higher than their respective values.
The new generation currency (NGC) P20 coins and the enhanced P5 coins have been in circulation since December 2019.
BSP said as of end-February 2022, there are about 290 million pieces of the P20 NGC coins and 1.90 billion pieces of the enhanced P5 coins that are still in circulation.
“The 20-Piso NGC and enhanced 5-Piso coins are legal tender and can be used as payments for goods and services at face value,” its advisory read.
“The BSP calls on the public’s cooperation in preserving the integrity of Philippine coins and banknotes.”
The P20 NGC coin was officially launched in 2019. It features former President Manuel Quezon on the obverse side, and the BSP logo and the Malacañan Palace on the reverse side.
BSP also launched the enhanced P5 coin in 2019. The obverse side of the coin features Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio, while the reverse side features the BSP logo and the Tayabak or Jade vine. – ag
